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Medical tubing supplier Raumedic has expanded its portfolio of biopharmaceutical fluid-processing products and launched a new biocompatible tubing brand. The company also announced that it is adding an ISO Class 7 cleanroom to its global headquarters in Helmbrechts, Germany.  Raumedic has been an exclusive supplier to a key solutions provider in the biopharmaceutical and life sciences sector for more than a decade. It is now leveraging its more than 70…

Dow’s packaging and specialty plastics segment saw a 26% decline in net sales versus a year ago, according to the company’s third-quarter earnings report released Tuesday. The company reported net sales in that segment at $5.5 billion, down from $7.3 billion in 3Q 2022. Local prices fell by 20%, added the company, “driven by lower polyethylene and olefin prices in all regions, primarily due to lower global energy costs.” Further, segment…

Advanced Design and Manufacturing Expo Toronto (ADM Toronto) announces its first-ever Electronic Vehicle (EV) Pavilion. The EV Pavilion will host a dozen companies on the expo floor developing clean and sustainable solutions in the advanced battery and electric vehicle industries. ADM Toronto and the co-located PLAST-EX return to the Toronto Congress Centre on Nov. 7 to 9, 2023.  ADM Toronto attendees will have access to a full EV battery conference…

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has unveiled the finalists for its 52nd annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala. Nominations were first subjected to a pre-qualification review and then were presented before a panel of industry experts in September. That panel sent forward the most innovative nominations (category finalists) to a blue ribbon judging round, which was held on Sept. 29, 2023. Category and Grand Award winners…

At Fakuma this week, Kraiburg TPE presented thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) based on variable proportions of renewable raw materials. By introducing these new compounds, the global TPE manufacturer is expanding its Thermolast R range of sustainable materials to include grades incorporating post-industrial or post-consumer recycled materials. Kraiburg TPE is particularly targeting the consumer and automotive sectors with these materials. When evaluating new raw materials for bio-based TPEs, Kraiburg is focusing on…

The automotive world is witnessing a new design era, as translucent plastics pave the way for more personalization and light effects. Automotive OEMs in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, in particular, are seeking eye-catching light effects that promise to reshape the landscape of automotive design. Targeting this trend, materials supplier LyondellBasell has introduced a new range of translucent polypropylene (PP) compounds under its Hifax and Hostacom brand names that, it…

Molded Devices Inc. (MDI), which was acquired by private equity firm TruArc Partners in August 2022, has rebranded as Aptyx. The new brand encompasses more than a dozen companies with over 70 years of experience in complex manufacturing, particularly in the areas of molding, extrusion, coatings, and medical device assembly. The Aptyx name and brand identity integrates a global group of companies that are part of MDI, including GlobalMed, Seitz,…

Spot resin trading maintained its elevated level of activity through mid-October, reports the PlasticsExchange in its Market Update. The horrific terror attack in Israel and the military response in Gaza may have contributed to some additional resin demand. The potential for the conflict to expand within the region seems to have encouraged additional purchases, according to the PlasticsExchange, as some processors voiced a desire to build extra inventory as a…

A little less than a month after announcing that it would shut down its Exeter, CA, plant, global packaging company Sonoco Products Co. has notified state officials that it is permanently closing its Fremont, IN, facility. A letter sent to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development dated Oct. 10, 2023, in accordance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, said that the “first separation as a result of the…

Plastics processing is a complex system of dialing in and maintaining quality parts as efficiently as possible. Companies with solid process setups start presses quickly, producing no more than three to five pieces of scrap as the press cycles in, and can then maintain cycle times above what was quoted. They are also able to consistently run with zero scrap, preferably, but no more than 1.5% in most cases. The…